7 Charts That Could Convince You To Become A Vegetarian

Even if some of us never want to give up meat, strong reasons exist for sticking with vegetables only.

Global meat production almost doubled between 1980 and 2004, and the upward trend will only continue, according to a 2005 study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). These numbers raise increasing concerns about land and water scarcity, health, and animal welfare.

The following charts lay out some good reasons for a vegetarian diet:

World hunger

Nearly 870 million people suffer from chronic undernourishment, according to FAO. About five million adults and 10.9 million children die from malnutrition every year.
Meanwhile, global food prices have reached near record highs and are expected to remain volatile. Places like India have even seen dangerous inflation. 

Water scarcity

Water scarcity could pose an even bigger problem in the coming century. Already, it affects 2.7 billion people — nearly 40% of the world's population — for at least one month every year, according to waterfootprint.org. Global scarcity will only get worse.

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